Eight Years Ago
by wackystrings123
Summary: Eight years ago. It had been exactly eight years ago since he had spilled his feelings for her. Eight years ago since he had first and last kissed her. Eight years ago since she had broken his heart. Eight years since he’d last seen her… TxG!


**A/N: Anyway here's little oneshot, it's been re-written and I had absolutely no idea what was going through my head when I wrote it so don't be surprised if it doesn't make sense. Enjoy!**

***BIOLOGY OBSESSED***

Eight years ago.

It had been exactly eight years ago since he had spilled his feelings for her. Eight years ago since he had first and last kissed her. Eight years ago since she had broken his heart. Eight years since he'd last seen her…

Now, eight years later he stood in front of the floor length mirror, struggling with his tie as he got ready to watch his best friend take his most prized possession from him. He raked his fingers through his chestnut strands, messing up the "neat" style his mother had spent centuries trying to perfect, but he couldn't care less. Nothing mattered to him at that moment; nothing but her.

"Troy, are you ready?" his best friend of twelve years called from the entrance of the dressing room. He turned to the brunette and scowled,

"Do I look okay?!" he snapped angrily. The brunette frowned at him, her hazel eyes ablaze and placed her hands on her hips,

"No need to take that tone with me, mister. I just came to check on you."

"Look, I'm sorry Shar" he apologized, "I think I'm a little tired, is all." He whispered. That was true. He'd spent eight years thinking about her. Eight long years, and now he was about to see her, again. But not the way he wished. He was about to see her exchange wedding vows with _his _best friend of all people. Sharpay Evans walked over to him and wrapped her slender arm around his shoulder, "We're all disappointed. Don't let it get to you." She whispered soothingly. Troy Bolton forced himself to nod, knowing it already had.

!Biology!

She looked stunning. The ankle length cream dress hugged her figure elegantly. Her dark tresses framed her bronzed face, brushing her bare shoulders she ran her fingers lightly over the silky material and twirled around.

"This is it Gabriella," she spoke to herself, smoothing her dress again, "No more Gabriella Montez after today. Only Gabriella Lodge." As the name left her lips her heart beat accelerated and she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her trembling frame. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. Getting married was supposed to be one of the happiest and most complete days of a woman's life. But not her…

Her stomach erupted in sickening somersaults and she let out a low groan. She wasn't ready to upchuck on her wedding day. She had waited too long.

This was it.

Everything was ready. The hall had been decorated elegantly. Flowers, banners, and streamers were hung decoratively along the large room. Every seat was already occupied as the invited guests settled down, some talking and others listening to the soft melodic tunes floating from the piano. It was the perfect wedding—well except for the wedding on the beach one—but it was perfect, at least in the eyes of most guests, but there were still a few quite disappointed attendants.

Gabriella peeked out at the scene through the silken drapes separating the room from the rest of the building. The butterflies were back. She had never been a big fan of crowds. The many times when she had been stuck on stage she always had her _best_ friend by her side. But not this time; she was on her own.

Her dark eyes traveled over to where her groom to be was standing discussing animatedly with an afro-haired African American and a tall well built sandy haired man. Her heart fluttered as she stared at the man's back, covered in the black tux. She wished he would turn so she could stare into his aquamarine eyes once more before she would become a married woman. Gabriella gnawed nervously on her bottom lip and let the drapes fall, ending her fantasy of the brunette man.

_What if I hadn't run off the day he told me he loved me? _She asked herself, playing with the "T" necklace that had hung around her neck ever since she was thirteen the one that she swore she would never take off, even when her "husband-to-be" had lost his temper about it and yelled at her for hours. He just didn't get it. It was more than a scrappy little "cheap" chain. It meant more to her than he fattest diamond in the Solar System.

It was given to her by her best friend, a sign of friendship, support and love. But she hadn't known it was a sign of love until way later, which of course led to their separation.

_If I hadn't run, would that be him standing at the end of the aisle instead of Jeremy?_

At the end of the aisle, Jeremy Lodge growled impatiently as he waited for his beautiful bride to enter so they could get the darn wedding over and he could whisk his little V off to Hawaii for a well deserved honeymoon. He stood stiffly next to the preacher at the altar, trying to find inconspicuous ways to rip the incredibly tight tie around his neck off. He was dying of heat as he looked down at his expensive watch. "Come on, start already." He snapped to no one in particular.

Beside him, Troy was experiencing mixed feelings. He wanted to rip his best friend's head off and throw it into the depths of Mount. Vesuvius, yet he wanted to make Gabriella happy and he had heard how happy she had been when she had called Chad to tell him about the wedding and he had been there and that feeling proved to be stronger than the first.

Suddenly the room turned quiet and the music changed. The wedding had begun.

Troy watched from beside his friends as the little black haired flower girl dressed in a flowing pink frock with her wavy tendrils stopping just above her back, skipped down the aisle throwing flower petals at the audience and singing a Barney song at the top of her voice. Troy smiled at her cuteness, she reminded him of a special little girl he used to know and love. The little girl was followed by four women—two of them Gabriella 's best friends and the other two close relatives—walked down the long aisle, clutching large flower bouquets to their chests. Taylor Mckessie walked in front, her pink dress hugging her developing curves showing off the forming baby bump. Her short hair just barely brushed her chocolate shoulders.

She was followed by Sharpay, whose dress was brighter pink than the others and had her brown-blonde hair held in a high ponytail. Then followed by one Gabriella's cousins' a tall slender Latina, recovering from giving birth less than a month ago. And lastly was a girl Troy feared second to Gabriella and Sharpay. She was Gabriella's cousin and one time at a family party she would not stop flirting with Troy. She had dyed her hair a dark blonde with the brown roots still visible. Her eyes were lighter than Sharpay's and she was a year older than Gabriella.

But everything else seemed to pass as a blur when the love of his life appeared on the carpet in the snow white dress he knew she had argued with Sharpay and Taylor about. Her bare arm was interlocked with her father's as she stumbled on the hem of her dress. Troy chuckled quietly to himself; _same old Ness can't walk on a flat land with tripping._

Chad nudged him slightly in the ribs and he cleared his throat before looking back at the gorgeous bride, taking slow and cautious steps towards the groom, which tragically was not him. Her eyes were fixed on her feet something he knew she did when she was thinking. She hadn't changed since he'd seen her eight years ago. She was still small and never seemed to grow. He wondered if her face had changed, or she started wearing contacts or glasses. But those thoughts left his head as he heard Jeremy mutter darkly,

"Come on, walk faster."

Troy had met Jeremy at university, thanks to Corbin. The two had clicked and became close friends soon after. Neither Chad nor Troy ever mentioned Gabriella and got a huge shock when just a few months after finishing university, Jeremy introduced them to his fiancée Gabriella . At that time Troy had been in New York finishing off some work when Chad had told him of the news. He ignored Jeremy's calls for months before finally giving up, realizing that it wasn't the man's fault and he hadn't known anything about the two.

So here he was, half a year later at his best friend's wedding, staring at the woman that could have been his.

He noticed her stumble as they reached the altar and her father pressed a kiss against her mop of hair. He sniffled audibly as he let go of his daughters arm whispering a quick good luck. Jeremy reached out for Gabriella's arm and she accepts, climbing up the step as they faced the priest. Troy looked away from Gabriella and gulped loudly. In less than an hour she would be a married woman. This wasn't how he had imagined them getting back together.

He couldn't listen to the priest's voice, it was much too painful. Instead he used that time to study his former best friend carefully. Her hair was a lot darker and curlier. Her eyes were darker and looked glossy. Her lips looked plumper than when he'd last seen them.

She turned her head and he gasped loudly when their eyes locked earning another sharp jab in the ribs from Chad. He turned back to Gabriella and noticed a tiny sad smile playing at lips. Their eyes stayed locked by a magnetic force for what seemed like eons before someone cleared their throat, irritated. Gabriella jumped and turned to the front. All eyes were on her and that was when both she and Troy realized that it was time for her to say the two words that would change their future. She opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to say the words. Eyebrows raised and the hall erupted in murmurs.

Tears spilled from her eyes and she clasped her hand over her mouth to keep the sob from spilling out. Troy instinctively stepped forward. It hurt him to see her like this. It was killing him inside, even more than watching the love of his life marry his best friend.

"Gabby?" Jeremy whispered quietly. The brunette shook her head apologetically, tears falling freely down her tanned face.

"I...." she paused and turned Troy, their eyes locking again. He forced a smile and nodded. "I...I'm sorry." she whispered. Everyone gasped. Jeremy looked furious,

"But you said 'yes'" he argued. The tears continued falling.

"I know. B....but I can't." and with that she ran. Just like she did the day Troy told her he loved her. Only this time he went after her. She ran out of the double doors, ignoring the stare and murmurs. She across the roads, past cars and any other form of civlization, stopping only when she reached a secluded area in an abandoned park. She dropped onto the bench and began sobbing.

"Ella! Wait!" Troy called his voice closer. She bit her lip and hugged her knees tightly. She was an idiot! She had messed everything up again. Everyone would be wondering what was going on. Jeremy would be furious. And everyone would be disappointed.

Troy stopped beside her.

She quickly stood up, tears running freely down her pale face ruining her makeup. "Troy, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry I ruined everything. I know you hate me. I'm sorry I ran that day. I'm sorry I was scared. I'm I wasn't ready. I'm sorry I hurt you" she paused and breathed in deeply, "I'm sorry I love you. I'm really sorry." She whispered.

Instead of speaking, Troy grabbed her face and softly pressed his lips against hers. She responded almost immediately by pushing her tiny hands into his hair. Troy pulled away and wiped away the falling tears on her face with his rough thumb, "I could never hate you, Ella. I love you. I never stopped." Gabriella smiled as he brought his lips back to hers. She was complete,

"I love you too."

**A/N: Like I said, when I was writing this, I had no I idea what was going through my head, but all the same, review.**

**Chow for now (I know it's "ciao" by the way).**


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